I often have to drive through Nazareth,PA(about 4 1/2 hrs away)and find any excuse to stop at the Martin Factory to take the tour. My wife discourages me from this because I tend to find myself drooling at the beautiful handiwork and verbalizing my fantasty of leaving it all behind to become a luthier...

man I'd like to take that tour.I've met Dianne Ponzio a few times when shes been touring here.Great guitarist and also an ambassador for Martin.They have a special model named after her.Had a play on hers, beautiful instrument,a lot less than 165 k too ! I think that Dan and Kerry should CAD up one on ecabs for us to look at.I'd do it but I don't want to show off

I will check that out. Another guy to listen to (from Al's neighborhood) is Tommy Emmanuel. Truly amazing use of harmonics. For a little heavier taste listen to Monte Montgomery. (Rock acoustic guitar)The thing I like about Rhett Butler is his use of multiple guitar tunings and the fact he incorporates standard finger picking with slapping, tapping and hammer-on techniques. His tapping style (in the vein of Stanley Jordan) also allows him to play two guitars at once for some wonderful stuff.

There are just too many truly talented people out there. (none of them in the top 40 of any genre)

Dan, you laugh about the Silvertone... my dad has one that my mom bought him not long after they got married 51 years ago.

It's actually not a bad guitar. Hollow body (no soundholes though,) two humbucking pickups, each individually controllable. It goes from twangy country to fat smooth blues sound. You can get some pretty good sounds out of it. It's the guitar that I learned on.

More interestingly though, we were at a music store several years ago, and they had one EXACTLY like it... only it was high on the wall in a plexiglas display case. We asked him how much he wanted for it and he was quick to tell us it was NOT for sale. Turns out it's pretty valuable.